Helene Therapeutics | SOSMARK

The most ambitious projects have a way of pushing you forward. Add a deadline that leaves no room for hesitation, and something shifts: decisions get made, constraints inspire creativity, and you discover new potential in your capabilities. This commission, a Sakura-inspired lighting installation and 18 complementary wall lights for a new clinic in Mayfair, was just that kind of project.

Every Detail Considered 

When Helene BioMed opened its first UK treatment centre in London, they appointed Samantha Swaby of SOSMARK to help interpret the brand’s Japanese origins through a Mayfair lens. A multi-disciplinary artist and product designer, Samantha builds bespoke interiors and furniture for clients around the world, each one developed from first principles rather than assembled from available parts. Her approach is uncompromising. "Even down to switches, if they want bespoke, I design it," she explains. "Everything has been thought about and considered, not just picked out."

For Helene Therapeutics, the brief came with a clear cultural anchor. CEO and co-founder Timi Ellinas wanted the space to reflect the clinic's Japanese origins, a design sensibility that was carried through every material and form. From fusuma partitions crafted in wood and marble to chochin-inspired fabric pendants in fine silk linen, Samantha built a space where nothing was incidental. The lighting above the reception desk was a centrepiece of the whole scheme, and it needed to have impact without overpowering the soft balance of the space. 

Evolving Shapes at Scale

Samantha came to us with a clear vision- large, layered, nature-led shapes drawn from the Sakura blossom in a cascading multi-drop installation. Interpreting that vision in our material palette was the key to this design challenge. The metal components were straightforward, but the shades were another matter entirely. They needed to be fabricated at scale, and formed into organic shapes with a lightness that would belie their size.

The qualities of our Jewel recycled plastic turned out to be a perfect fit: pressed in sheets large enough to meet the dimensions, heat mouldable into organic forms, and with a translucency that catches and diffuses light in a way that feels almost weightless. Samantha agreed and prototyping began. 

We worked through a series of iterations testing different forms, scale, and construction until the design found its final shape. Six ‘blossoms’ in two sizes, the largest nearly a metre across, suspended on five independent drops set at different heights to create that sense of movement essential to the brief.    

One Cohesive Design 

The wall lights were developed in parallel with the main installation. Initial drawings called for a simple lozenge shape, which were functional, but underwhelming. Once the chandelier blossoms were finalised, carrying the two petal design through to the wall lights became a clear solution.  The end result is a more cohesive design overall that speaks to the considered, custom-made nature of every element in the space - exactly the standard Samantha holds her interiors to. 

A Centrepiece For Sustainability 

We’re incredibly proud of what this creative collaboration with SOSMARK pushed us to produce, and the opportunity it gave us to present sustainable materials as the centrepiece of such a considered, high-end design. As Greg McElroy, our product development coordinator, reflected: "This project really challenged us to use our Jewel material in ways we had not previously envisioned in both scale and form. An exciting design, clear communication and strong development led to an outcome that beautifully showcases what recycled materials can contribute with the right team in place”.

Above: CD cases destined for landfill are cleaned, chipped, and pressed into our lustrous "Jewel" recycled plastic material 

 
In total, the project diverted 38.4kg of plastic (512 CD cases) from landfill — materials that arrived as waste and left as the focal point of one of London's most considered new clinical interiors. For Samantha, the material opened up new territory: "The Jewel material is really beautiful, particularly when you think it's made out of unwanted CD cases. It diffuses the light in a really unique and personal way. Now my brain's ticking on how I can incorporate it in other projects."